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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24299974">And Then There Was You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/batsy_rocks/pseuds/batsy_rocks'>batsy_rocks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>black + blue [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Superman - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Bittersweet, Bodyswap, Bruce Wayne Being an Idiot, Bruce Wayne loves his children, Confusion, Conversations, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Feels, First Kiss, Identity Issues, Impersonation, M/M, Male Friendship, Memory Related, Not Canon Compliant, Not Really Character Death, One Shot, Past Character Death, Pining, Pre-Slash, Reincarnation, Revelations, Secrets, Trust, Unresolved Romantic Tension, back from the dead, but not really, or something like it, soul transference</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:14:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,709</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24299974</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/batsy_rocks/pseuds/batsy_rocks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce Wayne is dead. So, who is the mysterious man that broke into Clark Kent's apartment and is lurking in the shadows?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clark Kent &amp; Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>black + blue [19]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1287215</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>117</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>And Then There Was You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was one of the first fics I wrote years and years ago after catching on TV a couple of episodes of a show called <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1280822/">Drop Dead Diva.</a> You don't need to know the show to read this, but I will leave a short summary in the end notes if you want to check it out first.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Clark pushed his apartment's door closed behind him, a bag of groceries tucked under one arm and his keys in his free hand. For someone with super hearing, it actually took him a moment to pick up on the other heartbeat in the apartment. He barely stopped himself from turning around to confront the intruder and instead continued acting as if nothing was wrong. He pocked his keys and reached for the light switch before turning around.</p><p>He played the part of the unsuspected mild-mannered reporter just discovering an intruder in his home and took advantage of the expected shock to study the man sitting in a chair turned to face the door.</p><p>The man was perhaps in his early thirties, with shaggy dark brown hair and hazel eyes in a handsome face, dressed in simple jeans and a dark grey pullover. He looked rather comfortable for someone who had just broken into someone's apartment and unless he had seen him in passing somewhere, Clark was sure he had never met the man before.</p><p>"Who- who are you? How did you get in?"</p><p>The man's lips crooked up into a smirk as he met Clark's eyes straight on. "Let's just say I have some rather <em>handy</em> skills from a past life."</p><p>Clark didn't move from where he was standing with his back to the door, eyes slightly narrowed behind his glasses. "Who are you?"</p><p>"Well, I guess you can say I'm an old friend."</p><p>"I have never seen you in my life."</p><p>He watched the reporter with an amused eyebrow arched. "Are you sure about that."</p><p>"Why don't you just leave and I wouldn't call the police."</p><p>"I don't think so." The man rose to his feet in one fluid motion, hazel eyes never leaving Clark's face. "There are some things we need to discuss, Kal."</p><p>"I'm sorry, but I think you're confusing me with someone else," Clark replied quietly, hugging the grocery bag closer to his body as he watched the strange man walk toward him with a predator's grace.</p><p><em>"Am I really, Kal-El?"</em> The strange whispered in Kryptonian, head cocked to the side as he looked up at the taller man.</p><p>"Who- who are you?"</p><p>"Why don't you take a guess, Kent?"</p><p>With his free hand, Clark pushed his glasses up on his nose before studying the man with narrowed eyes. He tried to place the face, the eyes, anything he saw but came up empty. He couldn't remember ever meeting or seeing the man standing before him. Neither as Clark Kent or as Superman. But- the fluid quality of his movements, the way he called him <em>Kent,</em> and the air of easy confidence that surrounded him were strangely familiar. </p><p>It all reminded him of one person and one person alone. But- no. It couldn't be. It was impossible. But- maybe. Just maybe it could be...</p><p>"Bruce," Clark murmured hesitantly, his blue eyes never leaving the man's face.</p><p>"I'm impressed," Bruce admitted dryly. And he was. A little. He hadn't expected Clark to believe a word he said, much less recognize him so fast.</p><p>Clark turned to place the grocery bag in the entry table with shaking hands. He took a moment to get himself under control before lifting his eyes to the strange man. He studied the man's face more carefully and tried to find even a glimpse of his friend there. It was the eyes. They weren't the same deep and wolfish blue he remembered, but there was something in them, something that he couldn't put a name to but that gave him pause. It gave him hope, as crazy as that was.</p><p>Bruce knew Clark well enough to see he was barely stopping himself from accepting his words as true and throwing his arms around him. Begrudgingly, he could admit (at least to himself) that he wouldn't have minded too much if he had done just that.</p><p>"Prove it."</p><p>"You impress me again, boy scout," Bruce replied with a twitch of his lips. "Should I mention how you used your super speed- at Mach 4," He added dryly, "To undress me and put me in a bathrobe after we shared a bed in that cruise? Or how you commented that robe brought out my eyes?"</p><p>"It's really you," Clark whispered, and without giving him a chance to reply, lunged at him using his super speed.</p><p>Bruce naturally braced himself for a crushing hug, of course, so he literally froze when Clark's lips clashed with his. The first touch was rough and clumsy, more a desperate press of lips than a real kiss, but that changed in seconds, and then Clark's soft and gentle lips were moving against his own. One of his large hands was on the back of Bruce's head and his arm was wrapped far too tightly around his waist. It wasn't a comfortable position, but he couldn't honestly say he minded.</p><p>The force of the impact had knocked the air out of him, though, and the kiss and crushing grip certainly weren't helping him get his breath back. All of which forced him to push at Clark's chest and when he finally let go a moment later, Bruce could only rest his forehead on the Kryptonian's shoulder as he panted for breath.</p><p>"I'm so sorry! I didn't- I'm- I don't know what came over me. I'm sorry."</p><p>"I- it's fine." Bruce wasn't sure if it was the lack of oxygen or the shock of Clark's reaction, but he still felt a little dizzy. He was also having a hard time controlling the urge to touch his tingling lips or even run his tongue over them. A part of him already missed the warm and soft touch of Clark's body against his.</p><p>Clark reached out to him but dropped his hand without making contact. "I'm really sorry. I just- How is this even possible? You- you died, Bruce. I saw your body. We buried you."</p><p>"I don't know," Bruce replied, shifting his eyes slightly to the side. "I just woke up from a coma eight months ago. Like this."</p><p>"You were in a coma?" Clark spoke again before he could answer. "No, wait. Eight months? You woke up eight months ago and decided to let me know until now that you, somehow, didn't actually die!?"</p><p>Bruce pulled back with a scowl. "Contrary to popular belief, recovering from a coma isn't just waking up and jumping out of bed as if nothing happened. There's a process- and it is a longer one if you're in the body of someone who didn't regard physical exercise and good nutrition as something important." It was frustrating how long it took him to recover when he knew that never would have happened if he had been in <em>his</em> body. The smile on Clark's face made him his frown deepen. "What?"</p><p>"I've missed you."</p><p>He rolled his eyes, but one corner of his lips twitched slightly.</p><p>"So. I guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?" Clark asked as he walked further into the apartment. He was still in a bit of shock about all this, but he could hear his Ma's voice telling him that was no excuse to forget his manners. "Do you want something to drink or-"</p><p>"I made coffee."</p><p>Clark snorted, blue eyes gleaming softly as he looked at the coffee pot on the counter. "I guess some things never change. Like you breaking into my apartment and making yourself at home."</p><p>"I didn't think this was a conversation you'd like to have in the hallway," Bruce countered.</p><p>"I guess you're right. There's some left for me?" Clark asked with a nod at the half-empty Superman mug Lois had given him on the table.</p><p>"There is, but it must be cold by now."</p><p>Clark nodded and walked toward the kitchen. He pulled his Batman mug from the cupboard, poured the leftover coffee from the pot, and used his heat vision to warm it up before turning around. He found Bruce already back in the chair he had been sitting on, this time turned around to face the table. If Clark still had any doubts about the man's identity, his first sip of coffee would have squashed them. It was definitely Bruce's coffee. The man may not know how to cook to save his life, but his coffee was a thing out of this world and that was exactly what he was drinking now.</p><p>He placed the mug down but remained silent, watching the man before him. It was weird, seeing that unknown face and hearing that strange voice and still try to find his friend in there somewhere.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"I'm sorry. This is just all a lot to take in." Clark took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "So, who are you now?"</p><p>"John Thomas," Bruce replied with a wry twitch of lips. He didn't miss the irony of having his father's name as a <span class="ILfuVd"><span class="e24Kjd">surname</span></span>. Or having the name of Dick's father as well. "A high school teacher."</p><p>"Well, it's a good thing you have so much experience dealing with kids, huh?" Clark commented with a tired smile. "What do you teach?"</p><p>"Math." Bruce ignored Clark's amused snort. "I'm still on medical leave, so I haven't had to deal with that yet."</p><p>Clark furrowed his brow. "What happened to him? Why was he in the hospital or did it happen when you- uh, entered his body?"</p><p>"An accident. He fell down the stairs. It resulted in a pretty serious concussion and a couple of fractures. It happened two days before my accident, and I woke up three weeks and two days after it." Bruce added, knowing those would have been Clark's next questions.</p><p>"And you're just- you? No strange memories that shouldn't be there or something?"</p><p>"No. Nothing of the sort."</p><p>"And your memory?"</p><p>"I don't remember the accident or my death if that's what you're asking, but my memory is fine," Bruce finished flatly.</p><p>"But?" Clark prompted.</p><p>He scowled at him, and Clark was saddened to see it was nothing like Bruce's scowl had been. He averted his eyes, swallowing hard, before looking at him again.</p><p>"I- don't have a clear last memory," He admitted begrudgingly. "I have memories that I know are the most recent, like a League meeting where we discussed Lantern's latest Intel on Sinestro. Or catching Scarecrow before he released his new toxin in City Hall, as well a few other more general memories."</p><p>Clark took a moment to think it over. "That League meeting happened a bit over a week before your- accident and I read about Scarecrow's capture three days before it, so the time span isn't too long."</p><p>"I know. I did some research as soon as I was able to."</p><p>"I bet you did." Clark took another drink of his coffee. "Maybe we should get J'onn to check you up. Try to figure out what happened."</p><p>Bruce lifted the mug to his lips, taking a sip of the lukewarm coffee to avoid having to give an answer.</p><p>"So. You have been pretending to be that guy all this time?" Bruce grunted in answer. "How? How can you pretend to be someone when you know nothing about them?" If someone could do it, it was Bruce, Clark was sure of that, but that didn't make it any easier to imagine.</p><p>"Retrograde amnesia. Memory loss isn't rare after a head injury."</p><p>"Clever. Did he have any family?"</p><p>"Yes. Two brothers, but they live out of the country. I saw them briefly after I woke up. And he has- had an ex-wife and a daughter too."</p><p>"A daughter?" Clark asked with raised eyebrows.</p><p>"Yes. Her name is Lilly. She's only five-year-old so she hasn't really been affected by any of this."</p><p>"And you have been pretending to be that little girl's father."</p><p>"Yes," Bruce snapped, eyes narrowed. "Or what do you suggest I should have done? Declare I'm Bruce Wayne as soon as I woke up? Tell them I'm not how I'm supposed to be and that I am a billionaire that died recently and somehow got into this body?"</p><p>"No! Of course not. I just- This is so messed up." Clark covered his mouth with his hand. "Have you told anyone else?"</p><p>"I haven't," He said simply.</p><p>Bruce didn't tell him that the only reason he had come here was that he had wanted- no, he<em> needed</em> to prove to himself that this, all this, was real and not just in his head. That he had almost cried in relief when he found out everyone in this other life existed and weren't just fragments of his imagination. He didn't tell Clark that as soon as he was physically able he went out on the streets to see his family with his own eyes; Alfred, Dick, Tim, Cass, Jason, Damian. He didn't dare get close, but just seeing them had been enough to soothe him.</p><p>He looked down at his hands, at the strange long and thin fingers, and didn't tell him how much courage it took to purchase a train ticket to Metropolis. Or how this untrained hands shook as he forced the lock of the apartment open and made himself step inside. Or the small relief he felt when he looked around and found he recognized the place. Bruce had been so distracted by Clark's reaction and the need to explain what happened that the immense relief he felt now that Clark had confirmed everything was real hadn't truly registered. He closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to truly appreciate it.</p><p>Clark didn't say anything for a moment, taking the time to study the figure before him, but when it became clear Bruce wasn't going to talk again without further prompting, he cleared his throat to gain his attention.</p><p>"What about the kids? <em>Your</em> kids?"</p><p>Bruce's shoulders went stiff. "None of them are kids anymore."</p><p>"You're not planning to tell them," Clark said after a moment, a frown on his face. It wasn't really a question.</p><p>"I think that would be best, yes."</p><p>"Best? Best for whom, exactly? Because I can't see how hiding that you're alive and well is going to be better for your family," Clark demanded. He took a moment to compose himself before speaking again. "How can you even think that they would react with anything but happiness and relief to the news you're alive? Or that they wouldn't be willing to do anything to have their father back?</p><p>Bruce flinched almost imperceptibly. "I'm not-"</p><p>"You are. You are their father. Damian may be your only biological child, but each of those kids is your son and daughter and you know it. They may never have called you 'dad' to your face, but that doesn't make you any less of a father to those kids."</p><p>"They're fine," Bruce said firmly. "They don't need me."</p><p>Clark opened his mouth but closed it again without a word. He tried again. "Maybe you're right. Maybe they don't need you anymore. They were all trained by the Batman after all, but that doesn't mean they don't want you back at their sides. It doesn't matter how old they are, children will always need their parents and those kids need you.</p><p>"And if you think, even for a second, that they're better off without you, then you were never the great detective we all thought you were."</p><p>Bruce considered leaving there and then. He already had what he had come looking for and no matter how much he had missed being at Clark's side, he wasn't simply going to sit here and listen to him talk about things he didn't understand.</p><p>"They're alright." His voice was deep and low as he spoke. "I know they're taking care of the company and the manor with help from Alfred and Lucius. Dick is acting as Batman now with Damian as his Robin, and Tim took a new persona. Red Hood is working with them now." Bruce paused a second. "He has not killed anyone."</p><p>He had no way to obtain reliable information about them now, especially in costume, so he was using the only sources he had, which happened to be blogs and web pages with reports from Gotham citizens about the vigilantes' activities. He had compiled a list of users and pages to keep track of years ago, all of which shared information and theories that were worryingly close to the truth. He never did anything but monitor them, and he was grateful for it because they were of great help right now, and once he was able to he went out to try to confirm everything he read.</p><p>Find them hadn't been as easy as he hoped, and only a part of that was due to the bad condition of his new body and lack of equipment, so Bruce was pleased. If he had a hard time finding them it meant that anyone who wanted to hurt would do as well. It was as he hid amid the shadows of the city in a cold and windy night that he saw them for the first time in months. First, there was Dick and Damian, working like a well-oiled machine as they stopped a robbery, even if Damian hadn't followed Dick's instructions to the letter if the tense set of Dick's shoulders as they stood together after the fight had been any indication.</p><p>It took him a few nights longer to find Jason and Tim because their new patrol routes were different, but when he did they were perched on a rooftop doing surveillance. They had been silent, keeping their distance from each other but together. No confrontations and no verbal fights.</p><p>Bruce made his decision then. Life may have decided it wasn't done with him yet, and so he would keep on living, but he wouldn't disturb anymore the lives of those he cared about. They mourned him and they had already moved on. He had no right to show up almost a year later and expect them to receive him with open arms.</p><p>"And you think all of that is going to crumble down if they know you're alive? That Jason is going to start killing and fighting his family again if you come back?" </p><p>Bruce's silence was an answer by itself.</p><p>Clark pressed his lips tightly together. He spent years trying to convince Bruce that while it was true he held some responsibility for Jason and what happened to him, he was not responsible for every decision the boy made since he came back to life. He made no progress then and he knew he wasn't going to do it now either. Bruce had always been quick to take responsibility for any mistake or wrongdoings his sons and daughter made, even when he always refused to take credit when they acted like the good kids they were raised to be. It was more than a little frustrating and sad, but it was something Clark had mostly acepted with the years.</p><p>He still had one last card to play, but it was a dangerous one and so Clark didn't use it often. It would either make Bruce doubt whatever decision he had already taken or make him close up entirely.</p><p>It was a risk he was going to have to take this time.</p><p>"What about Alfred?" Clark asked gently. "You think he doesn't need you anymore?"</p><p>If there was something, or more accurately, someone, that always warranted a reaction from Bruce, it was Alfred. Even a mention of the older man could put a crack on the Bat's otherwise impenetrable facade. That didn't mean Clark was ready for the glare sent his way, too close to Batman's legendary batglare but different all the same. It still made him squirm slightly in his chair under the weight of it.</p><p>"That's none of your damn business," Bruce spat, rising to his feet. "I have to go."</p><p>"No! Wait, wait!" Clark hastened to stand as well. "You can't just disappear again. Not after this. I- You're going to keep in touch now. Right?"</p><p>"We'll see."</p><p>"Bruce, please," Clark called as Bruce turned to walk away. It was the desperation in his voice that made him pause. "Look, I don't agree with what you're doing. I think it's a mistake and I hope you'll change your mind soon, but I'm your friend too and I'm not going to tell anyone about this if you don't want me to. I promise."</p><p>Clark had come to stand between Bruce and the door, so he stared at him with his strange but piercing hazel eyes for a long time.</p><p>"You should stop calling me Bruce," He offered offhandedly.</p><p>Clark's shoulders dropped in relief. "Right. Well. You really should visit or call again soon, John," He spoke the name tentatively, but the rest came out more easily. "Or I will have to track you down. I'm Superman, but I'm also an investigative journalist, you know."</p><p>Bruce snorted but didn't deign such nonsense with a reply. "I do need to go."</p><p>"Yeah, okay." Clark hesitated for a second before closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around him for the second time that night, though this time it was only a hug, and a more more gentle one as well. "I mised you so, so much, B. You have no idea how happy I am to know you're alive."</p><p>It took Bruce a moment to relax under the sudden but not unexpected contact, and even longer to awkwardly try to return the embrace with his upper arms trapped to his side by Clark's strong arms. If the hesitation and stiffness of his body discouraged him, Clark didn't show it. Instead, he gave him a light squeeze and kept on holding him.</p><p>Rather than growl at Clark to let him go or push him away like would have done before, Bruce not only let him continue but even went as far as to lean into the hug as he closed his eyes and breathed in his familiar scent.</p><p>This was the closest Bruce would ever be to being home again, and he needed to treasure every second of it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The main idea is that the main character dies in a car accident and goes to 'haven', but rather than move on her 'soul' or whatever you want to call it goes back to Earth <i>but</i> ends up being pulled into the body of someone who died in that second, her own memories intact and no idea who the other person is. That's not really the main plot of the show, but that's the relevant part for this fic.</p><p>I thought of Bruce and how that plot was something that could definitely happen in the comics as soon as I saw it, and so this was born. I never did get around to write more (aside from starting a second chapter where Clark meet 'John' and her daughter) or even plan a plot other that the fact I wanted the batkids to find out at some point that their dad was alive, so that's why I never posted this until now that I found it in my drafts. It's obviously the start of a story, and one I don't have it in me to continue, but I liked it and thought maybe someone else would enjoy reading this little tease too.</p><p>English is not my native language, so any tips or corrections are welcome.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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